Aaron Dobson has quietly had a great career at Marshall, despite not having an NFL-quality arm throwing to him. With an arm that can deliver the ball down the field on a consistent basis, Dobson’s production would have been greatly improved.

He has improved every year in college and I expect his best football to be played in the NFL. If he is able to refine his technique a bit, he will quickly become a fixture on highlight shows.

A tall receiver that can get over the top of cornerbacks is never over-looked on draft day. In conversations with Dobson, he seems ready to contribute at the “X” receiver position as a rookie, and is willing to work on his craft to get there.

Dobson certainly has the type of big, muscular build the Patriots have lacked at the wide receiver position; he will be expected to line up as the split end. If he can beat press coverage with some consistency and offer New England a deep threat on the outside, the pick will be worth it.

However, there will be a fairly steep learning curve for Dobson; how well he adjusts to New England’s complicated offense will dictate his success at the pro level. Bill Belichick stated, however, that Dobson was “in the upper level” of football smarts with regards to wide receivers drafted by New England.

Like Fitzgerald, Dobson wants to be an “X” receiver in the NFL, playing on the line. He’ll have to be adept at getting off the press, which he has shown he can do at the college level. The NFL could be a different story.

“I like to mix it up. They’ll watch tape of you in the league so you can’t just do one thing.” Dobson can use his 6’3″ / 200+ pound frame to get physical with corners or use his lateral explosiveness to get around them.

Getting off the press is exactly what the Patriots need with AFC East teams loading up on pass rushers.

I was going to watch the entire draft this year but after the second round I needed to leave. Sure jamie was electrifying in college but I was pissed to see Margus go rightafter. Im bummed about this year draft so far. SSomeone give me words of encouragement.

What is weird is the pats have 2 developmental players maybe Collins could maybe start day 1 on 3rd down but really no starters but I guess no different than half of the top of first round ( Ziggy. Jordan and others) but 1st year starting at due 10 sack more than most played safety before that so he can cover

patton seems like the kind of smart x receiver that tommy b prefers. dobson is another one of those hoodie boom-or-bust projects, and we all know what his track record is. sheesh i hope we do better in the 3rd, this is going downhill

Not me. We do not need another posession receiver!! Im tired of seeing good defenses play both their safties within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage because they know we have no one who can beat them deep. The Giants did that in 2011, Baltimore did that last year in the playoffs. Im hoping for another WR with speed in the 3rd round.

i sorta kinda maybe agree with you. yes we do need a deep threat to keep defenses honest, but seriously, if all we need is basically a decoy, why not grab some speed freak in the later rounds? some guy who only runs go-routes down the field and only needs to catch a ball a game or something.

i mean cmon, let`s be honest, ne`s offense is all about the intermediate passing game. tight ends, screens, that sorta thing. we need possession receivers to take the heat off of our tight ends. for gimmicks and the odd deep ball we can – as i said previously- get some freaking track star like goodwin from texas and let him keep the deep safety busy while we eat their field up, 10-15 yards at a time.

Honestly, I’m kind of surprised myself. 😀 He definitely needs to develop a bit, so let’s see if they go for a polished, production-heavy receiver in the third or fourth. Also, still need to add a DB somewhere along the line, I think.

I think a Safety – Thomas or Evans – would take care of the need for a CB till the 7th. Still, many corners left – Poyer, Ryan, McFadden, Wreh-Wilson.
If Patton, Allen, Wheaton fall too deep to miss out on (end of 3rd), maybe a double-dip at WR?

I think Barret Jones would be a target in the 3rd too – just too good a value there.

Hoping for Sanders Commings. Great Press man corner. I would love Keenan Allen too. Not sure he lasts that long. Jesse Williams would be great too. If we get those 3, it shall have been a great draft. Im happy so far.

Well, great CB pick with Logan Ryan–good value–and they did pick a safety. If possible, though, Duron Harmon is even more obscure than Tavon Wilson. I literally had never heard of him until a few minutes ago.